2001
iRobot develops the PackBot , the first robot to be used in disaster response . The robots are deployed for search and rescue following 9 / 11 while they ’ re still in development .
2013
The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System project becomes operational . Hundreds of seismometers and sea level stations around the Indian Ocean send data in real time to 28 member states around the region .
2017
The Serval Project begins deployment in the Pacific region . It uses Android phones and low-cost extenders to create a mesh radio network that operates without service providers .
1984
The Thames Barrier opens . It stretches across the river and can rise to prevent tidal surges from flooding London .
2015
NASA ’ s FINDER , a device that can detect human heartbeats under 30 feet of rubble , helps rescue survivors of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal .
2022
U . S . Bureau of Reclamation pilots a supercomputer that leverages big data to predict long-term rainfall in the U . S . Southwest , enabling better forecasting and responses to wildfires and droughts in the region .
PHOTOS ( LEFT TO RIGHT ) BY KARIND / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ; OLGA KOT PHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK ; DEA / GIANNI OLIVA / GETTY ; CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM ; COURTESY OF HRL LABORATORIES ; PETER DAZELEY / GETTY ; REUTERS / BRIAN SNYDER / REDUX ; COURTESY OF MSM OCEAN ; HAMZA SHABAN ; COURTESY OF ANDREAS F . PREIN ; CREATIVE COMMONS
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